ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS TO PARTICIPANTS IN THE MEETING SPONSORED BY THE “FONDAZIONE BANCO ALIMENTARE” (FOOD BANK FOUNDATION)
Paul VI Audience Hall
[…] Hunger today is a matter of truly “scandalous” dimensions, which threaten the life and dignity of many people — men, women, children and the elderly. Every day we must address this injustice, — I would go even further — this sin, in a world rich in food resources, thanks also to enormous technological progress, there are too many who lack the basic necessities for survival; and this is true not only in poor countries, but is increasingly so in rich and developed societies. The situation is aggravated by the increase in migratory flows, which bring to Europe thousands of refugees, fleeing from their countries and in need of everything. Jesus’ words resound in face of such an immeasurable problem: “I was hungry and you gave me food” (Mt 25:35). We see in the Gospel that, when the Lord realizes that the crowds that have come to listen to him are hungry, he does not ignore the problem, nor does he give a good discourse on the fight against poverty, rather he does something that leaves everyone astonished; he takes the little that the disciples had brought with them, blesses it and multiplies the loaves and fishes, so much so that at the end “they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over” (Mt 14:20). […]
